Love Can be Difficult
by TheCastorbean
Summary: The original puffs and ruffs along with 8 new additions to the teams are in High school and experiancing all the drama and Jealousy that comes with Adolescence. Dedicated to my friend ppgz and rrbz lover. I suck at summaries, but please read!
1. Jealousy

BRICK'S P.O.V

I watched from across the room, feeling the familiar burn of anger flash through me like a bolt of lightning. She was talking to him again, her _boyfriend_. Just seeing her, laughing, smiling, and hanging off his every word, made my blood boil and my skin nearly turn green with envy.

I was ready to shoot up from my seat, storm across the room and give that pretty boy a knuckle sandwich, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned to see my brother –Bash- staring back at me. He was still sporting his usual stoic expression, although his chocolate brown eyes were alight with wisdom far beyond his years. Through those eyes he conveyed his message: don't.

"I know" I mumbled as I angled my body away from the couple and tried to focus on my lunch.

It's been nearly nine years since we first met them; we had changed considerably from back then. No more of those destructive little six year olds who got their kicks out of causing others pain. We're not saints, but we're not as bad as we used to be either. I honestly don't know what changed us; maybe we just grew out of it, maybe having over double our original number made destroying and plundering the town less fun.

None of us really know what happened; all we know is that we're high school freshmen. Just seven normal guys dealing with normal problems in their normal lives.

Well unless you call being hopelessly attracted to your sworn enemies normal.

That's right, you heard me, The Rowdy Ruff Boys are crushing on The PowerPuff Girls.

I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out how this happened, and trying to figure out when exactly I had started liking her. But no matter how hard I try I can't seem to decisively place the exact moment I became attracted to her.

I wasn't alone though, all six of my brothers felt the same. We didn't talk about it when we could help it, didn't even like thinking about it most of the time. But when I see her sitting there with that jock-ass pretty boy I can't seem to ignore the flood of emotions that washes over my body like a dammed stream that was just set free.

If it wasn't for Bash's interference then I'd of definitely taught that guy a thing or two about fighting, even if he is a hotshot football player you can't beat a Ruff in a fight.

Speaking of Bash…

I glanced over at him, momentarily breaking my train of thought. His gaze was focused across the room, and while his face was still impassive I could still tell he was simmering. I followed his gaze and immediately understood why he was angry.

Bell –his counterpart- was sitting a few tables down from us, along with all the other band members. She was chatting with one of the guys, and I noticed that the dude obviously didn't take the conversation as a simple friend to friend chat.

The guy hung off her every word like she was describing the secret of immortality to him or something, and when her hand accidently brushed his under the table he flushed pink for an instant before re-gaining his composure.

Bash immediately stood, soundlessly as always, and walked away. He dumped his tray of half-eaten chicken wings and fries in the trashcan and left, not even bothering to tell us where he was going. Not that I could blame him though, he was doing the smart thing: getting the hell away from the sight of her flirting with another guy before you seriously hurt somebody.

I guess it's our natural instincts from living as evil on the streets for so long, apparently fighting is what we were made to do and not even a serene environment like Pokey Oaks High could change that.

Everybody was afraid of us, and I do mean _everybody_. I've had teachers give me worried side-long glances across the room. And I'm sure we've all noticed how security cameras suspiciously come to life and follow us as we walk down the halls. We're not stupid; we know exactly how wanted we are. But then again, recognition is not why we're here.

And before you ask, no we do not know exactly why we're here. We just felt like coming one day, that's all, a whimsical decision on our part.

_I'm sure it had nothing to do with the ginger goddess that inhabits these halls and how bad you're crushing on her._

It was just a whisper of a thought in my mind and I promptly ignored it, taking a bite out of my burger instead.

"What's with Bash?" Brunt asked

I glanced back over to where Bell sat, still talking to that guy. Brunt's eyes followed my gaze.

"Ah" was all he said, as if he understood completely. And he did.

Brunt's the second oldest in our little family of seven. He's one of the four Ruffs that Mojo made after he figured out that Professor Utonium had –once again- accidently created four more 'perfect little girls'.

That monkey has serious issues, making four more sons just to top the guy who made him into a mutant freak. Not that I don't understand the scheme of revenge but still, I'd say that's going a bit far with it.

Not that I should be complaining though, I got four new brothers out of the deal. Both Boomer and Butch were excited too, our numbers had more than doubled overnight and we were itching to take the girls on again seeing as we had even ranks this time. They still beat us, but not as badly as they had before.

As humiliating as having our butts constantly handed to us by the girls was it was nothing compared to agreeing to going to school. It was when we had been living with Him, considering that we go back and forth between Him and Mojo depending on the day, that he suggested we try going to school.

We took his advice amazingly; we usually didn't listen when an adult spouted that bull at us but for some reason his words seemed to get through. The next thing we knew we were enrolling at Pokey Oaks Middle school for our sixth grade year.

Naturally the Puffs were suspicious, and warned us that if we tried anything funny they'd kick our asses up and down the hallway in a heartbeat. We were surprisingly good though, only causing minimal commotion and chaos. An occasional food fight, more than our fair share of pranks on the teachers and other students, and too many referrals and detentions to count.

I did find that I had a knack for schoolwork though, and soon enough I was competing with Blossom for the #1 spot in the class. That rivalry still goes on today, although it mostly consists of smug looks and well-disguised insults rather than any actual communication.

My brothers have managed to find their own way in the world too. Blade is the freshman star of the track team, Butch and Bleak are both players on the varsity team, Brunt is in the science, robotics, and foreign language clubs, not to mention the debate team. Bash is in band, and Boomers in the creative art program.

As for me I'm also on the debate team, other than that I split my time between going to the library and studying to keep up with all my honors level classes.

With all these extra curricula's going, not to mention our good looks, me and my bro's have been quite popular with the schools populace for a while now. It's still only the first semester but we're like celebrities already, girls throw themselves at us daily, all the guys want to be our friends. We're in the in crowd, or rather we're the unattainable. The bad boys of the school that every girl wants to date and every guy wants to be.

We relished the popularity for about a week before it became a regular thing. We've gotten used to turning girls down; we've gotten settled into our new lives. We have everything; or rather we have _almost _everything.

The only thing that would make our lives perfect would be the girls, the seven girls that have so oddly taken our attention and made all the beautiful cheerleaders in short, tight skirts and revealing V neck tops seem so plain and unattractive.

I don't know when I started seeing Blossom as a woman instead of a rival, but suddenly her long flowing red hair had become even more beautiful than spun golden threads and her pink eyes had become as valued as the purest rubies.

She had long ago abandoned that giant red bow she used to wear, now either leaving her hair down or tying it into a single braid running down her back. She wore light make-up, although in my opinion she'd look just as pretty without it, and her skin was flawless as silk.

She's also on the debate team, no surprise there, and a few other clubs and organizations that have taken her fancy. Berry –Brunt's counterpart- is also on the debate team, although at least those two are somewhat civil to each other.

Blossom and I seem almost consumed by our rivalry; all we ever do is fight and try to outdo one another. I'm getting tired of it to tell you the truth; it's been going on for three years now you'd think that such a tedious routine would get tiresome, but apparently she never gets sick of it.

That's the thing about the girls; they never seem to want to give us the time of day. Apparently we'll only ever be those annoying, evil little boys from their childhoods, nothing more and nothing less.

All of us know this, there's no need to be told. Although we've all integrated into the girls lives one way or the other, as annoyances, as partners, as club members, no matter what we are in their lives we'll never be more than the scenery in the back ground.

"…And I tackled the dude, landed right on his back! Butch dog-piled right on top of me to make sure that the guy was pinned"

Both Bleak and Butch howled in laughter as they remembered a play from one of their games, their favorite topic of bragging. And right now their current victims were Blade and Boomer, who were too polite to say anything. Or rather Blade hadn't heard the story before and actually seemed interested while Boomer had heard about it non-stop since the game Friday and listened with no interest whatsoever.

"Hey Brick do we have a club meeting after school today?" Brunt asked

I shook my head "no, only Tuesdays and Thursdays remember"

He nodded "oh yea…"

One thing about Brunt, if he's not interested in whatever you're telling him or if he doesn't need the information later it goes in one ear and out the other. That's why he's constantly asking me about the times and dates for debate club meetings.

"So you guys'll be hanging out at home after school?" Boomer asked

"Well I'm going to the library after school; I have geometry homework to do"

Butch snorted, taking a momentary break from his intense conversation to make a comment.

"Geez Brick that bitch of a teacher got you working your ass off again?"

I laughed "while I'm sure Mr. Helot would love to know exactly how everyone feels about the mountains of work he gives us I'm sure that I can finish it quickly enough, it's easy anyway"

He snorted, "Yea that's why you're _the brains_"

I ignored the pathetic insult and went back to my lunch, I only had another 5 minutes to finish my pizza anyway and there was no way I was letting it go to waste.

"So Blade how's track? Meet any hot girls you want to introduce me to?" Bleak asked, a smirk splitting across his face.

Blade snorted "you know that I'm not checking out the peanut gallery while I'm running, if you want to get a girl so badly then check out your groupies"

"But I've gone out with all of them already" Bleak said

He wasn't lying, in the short weeks that we'd been here he and Butch had managed to date at least a quarter of the hot girls in the school. They dumped them anywhere between a few minutes to three days after getting together, not that that was surprising considering that those cutesy girls are nothing in their eyes compared to their counterparts.

I've seen the way they look at Buttercup and Bumblebee, and it's not even close to the cold stares they give those other girls. For whatever reasons they've decided to become the school's resident playboys, and have gotten very good at it too. They're well known among the female populace, and I hear their names wherever I go.

I sometimes wonder how they can stand it.

"You guys really should lay off the dating" Boomer said

Obviously he'd noticed it too.

"Sorry Boom, but there are too many out there to let 'em slip through your fingers, by the way Bleak I hear Ashley's looking for a new BF"

"Which Ashley? A-cup Ashley? Atrocious Ashley?"

"Audacious Ashley"

Bleak whistled, "No thanks bro waaaay to trampy for me"

"You guys are disgusting"

We all looked up and were surprised to see all seven of the Puffs standing over us. Although it was Bee who had addressed us, she never was one for keeping comments to herself.

"Your disgusting Bleak, talking about girls like that, we're people you know"

A grin instantly spread across Bleaks face and he was instantly a different person, he leaned back casually in his seat and put his arms behind his head as he shot her a perfect grin that would usually make any girl melt at his feet.

But Bumblebee was not just another girl; she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him with her sharp yellow eyes. Her wavy chocolate brown hair barely brushed her shoulders and her tanned skin showed her love of the outdoors.

She was a lot like Bleak in that way, I guess we do all have some things in common with our counterparts. Even if we are hesitant to admit it.

"So Brick how'd you do on the test last week?" Blossom asked casually

I felt a smirk tug at my lips "perfect hundred, and you?"

"Same"

The tension of our rivalry seemed to create an electric current between us, charging the air until we both looked away simultaneously. Okay, so I take it back about getting tired of our rivalry, I could do this all day.

"Butch, hope you make a fool of yourself at the game this Friday I'm sure that the **entire school** won't be too disappointed if one of their star players screwed up" Buttercup said, the statement laced with so much sarcasm I could barely tell that she was sincere about the first few words.

He smirked back at her "no worries Butterbutt, I can't possibly make a fool out of myself with all those hot cheerleaders screaming my name"

"Call me that again and they'll be hauling your ass out of here in a stretcher B_i_tch"

While they engaged in their heated argument Blossoms _boyfriend_ came over, wrapping an arm around her waist and giving her a peck on the cheek. She flushed pink and I had to grind my teeth together to keep from launching myself at the bastard.

"These guys giving you trouble?"

As if he could do something about it if we were.

I snorted, a scowl sinking into place "They wish, they came over here all by themselves to enjoy _our_ company"

The guy turned his deep blue eyes on me. He was in Varsity, just like Butch and Bleak. Tall slender and very muscularly built he was perfect for life on the field. Yet despite the tough game he'd managed to keep all his teeth, and they were placed into a flawless white smile that was quite obviously a bleached job.

His short black hair was a bit greasy but that was the only thing that diminished his appeal. He had firm angular features and lightly tanned skin, his eyes weren't striking like Brunt's electric blue orbs nor as dark as Boomers deep ocean blue eyes, his were more of a dark azure with a hint of green. And it wasn't just because I hated him that I hated those eyes.

I've always thought that that guy is sneaky and conniving, and my opinion didn't change now as we stared at each other.

He kept his arm around Blossom's waist and I felt so angry that I might just start up a fight with him just to get this rage out. Better to take it out on someone rather than tearing up the cafeteria, even if it did get me expelled it might be well worth it to give this guy a good right hook.

But right as I was about to stand I remembered Bash's earlier interference.

_Don't_

That one word was enough of a conscience that I turned away with a huff and took the last bite of my pizza just as the bell rang. As I stood up to go I caught the smirk on the guys face, he'd obviously thought he'd won.

'_He's just lucky that I didn't decide to kill him for pulling that kind of crap with me' _I thought as I strolled down the hall toward my locker.

Eventually he would slip up, Blossom would dump him and I would be waiting to take his place. For some reason I was determined to ask her out the moment she was free from that jerk, although I'm sure she won't accept and it'd be a waste of my time. I know her answer, I don't even have an idea why I would even care who she goes out with.

But deep in the back of my mind I think I knew, I think I knew exactly why I was having these thoughts about her, why I get so angry when I see her with another girl, and I understand why I have such a strong desire to be with her.

Somewhere in the deepest recesses of my mind I'm sure I know why, but I don't want to say it, and I'm not sure I ever will.

**Me: Hello everyone, if you're reading this then good on ya. This is a request I got from one of my favorite commenters ppgz and rrbz lover, she recently got into a car accident and I really wanted to get this story up to tide her over while she's getting better. I hope you'll all continue to read and if you want to know more about the eight new characters I've added then look on my profile and read my one-shots and my other fic Regular Life (Sorry for the crappy title on that one I just had like no inspiration for the title)**

**Anyway please continue to support me, support ppgz and rrbz lover and COMMENT I want to know how good or bad I did on this chapter.**

**PEACE OUT!**

**TheCastorbean**


	2. Cheating Playboy!

BLADE'S P.O.V

I pushed myself to go faster, focusing on my form and breathing as I took my second lap around the track. There was no one else around, not surprising considering it was almost an hour after school had let out and there was no practice today. But that didn't stop me from running.

It was still warm out, although it was getting close to autumn and the cold would begin to set in soon. The sun was out and blazing over my head, sweat poured down my face and soaked my clothes.

It felt good to run. It takes my mind off all the problems and school work that usually overwhelm me. When I run I feel free.

Coach also says that I'm an amazing runner, and have a shot at going to regionals next month. So I need to practice and get my speed up before then. I might be the fastest guy on the team, but that's no reason to get cocky.

I slowed down to a light jog and started over to where I left my stuff, grabbing my water bottle and taking a nice long swig of the ice cold liquid. I wiped my towel across my forehead, removing the access sweat.

My light brown hair fell into my eyes a bit, and I swiped it away as I turned to continue with my work out.

After running another 10 laps I called it a day, taking a quick rinse under one of the showers in the locker room before pulling my regular clothes on and starting out across the track. I passed the football team on my way home. Both Butch and Bleak were there, slamming targets and practicing plays with the utmost diligence and focus.

It always amazed me how dedicated they actually were, even though they say that they only joined the team to meet cheerleaders and get with the 'in crowd' they seem really passionate about the game.

For a brief moment I wondered if Buttercup or Bumblebee knew about their dedication. But I knew they didn't, none of the Utonium sisters knew anything about the real us. They've never even made an effort to try.

I sighed as my thoughts swung in that direction again. I've been trying to get her out of my mind lately, trying to accept that there's no possible way that I could ever be together with her the way I want to. But traitorous thoughts about some type of miracle happening keep slipping into my mind.

I don't deny my feelings for my counterpart as some of my brothers do. I'm hopelessly in love with her; I've known that for years now. But she's never really given me the time of day, not that I would expect her to.

I fought her tooth and nail for years before I finally fell for her. I injured her bodily almost every day back when we were little. I have no right to love her, even if those injuries barely affected her super-human body.

I'm not the only one who feels that way though; all my bro's carry varying degrees of their own guilt. The way they look at their counterparts is a dead giveaway.

In pains me just to look at her sometimes and that pain reminds me that I shouldn't feel this way. I should just abandon my feelings and let her find a nice guy, one who will treat her right and make her happy. That's all I want, as long as the man she chooses fits those qualities I'll be content with being happy that she's happy.

Although as selfish as it is I can't rid myself of these feelings, and sometimes I find myself wishing that I didn't love her at all. But I would rather endure the searing pain that mar's my heart than obliterate my love of her.

It brings whole new meaning to the word 'crush'.

But I suppose I'm luckier than my bro's.

My counterpart's sweetness is only surpassed by Bubbles, and while she is not as polite and quiet as Bubbles she's not one to hurt people's feelings either. Because of this I've been able to talk to her, not very much but that's more than my bro's have gotten.

Her name is Bunny, the most hyper and spirited of the seven Utonium sisters. She's a cheerleader, and highly desired throughout the school. She's also the most social out of all her sisters.

The Utonium sisters are well known around the school, and not just because of their heroism and superpowers. Each one of them is very well known and popular in a different area.

Blossom, the oldest, is known for her intelligence. She's never gotten anything less than an A- in her life, and is always at the top of her class. Everyone wants to be partnered up with her for projects and she has quite a reputation among the teachers as 'the perfect student'.

Berry, the second oldest, is known as the gadget girl. She can fix anything and often helps the computer teachers and the robotics club advisor to update and repair all broken equipment. She's so good in fact that she became the president of the robotics' club in just under a week. It's rare for a freshman to become president of any club, let alone such a tight-knit one as the robotics club.

Buttercup, the third oldest and the toughest of the seven. She kicks ass at any sport and from the moment she set foot in the school she showed everyone who was boss. She's had a few confrontations with the teachers, and has gotten a good many detentions and one or two referrals but nothing too serious…yet. If she's anything like Butch it shouldn't take her long to start a fight. She's basically the school's badass, sports chick.

Bumblebee, the middle child is also known for her sports prowess. She's a major player on the basketball team and her amazing skateboarding moves are often the talk of all the guys. She's also known for her endless talking, that girl can hold a conversation, or rather dominate a conversation. But she seems liked by most everyone, and not only for her skills.

Bell, the third youngest, is the shyest of the girls. She's in the band, and plays several different instruments. She's also got a killer voice from what I hear, a real theatre type girl.

My counterpart, Bunny, the second youngest. She's the most hyper and spirited of the seven, two qualities that she put to good use by joining the cheerleading squad. She dominates the team, with strikingly graceful movements she wow's the crowd at every game. Everyone knows her, and she knows everyone, somehow managing to memorize their names and faces after the first encounter. The true gem of the school, although I might be a bit biased in that statement considering that I'm in love with her.

And finally the youngest, Bubbles. She's the sweetest and kindest of her sisters, and focuses her energies on the creative art program. All the guys around school have her pegged as the hottest girl in school, not even her other sisters can compete with her. I can't even tell you how many guys I've heard talking about her, I don't know how Boomer can stand it.

They're the queens of the school as far as everyone else is concerned. Not many guys have worked up the nerve to ask them out yet, but their getting bolder. It won't be long before their all taken, and completely settled into their new high school lives.

I had to swallow down the thick lump of bile that rose to my throat as I thought of that. Seeing her move on without me would be painful, but not as painful as rejection would be. My bro's seemed just as hesitant as I am to tell them how we feel.

We've known them for nine years and never shown them anything other than our old badass selves. I suppose it's partly our fault that we're in this position now, but it's not like we had any idea of how to go about 'making friends' with them, Mojo and Him are not good role-models in that respect.

"You're thinking deeply"

I jumped and nearly threw a nasty right hook into the face of the one who had surprised me, but stopped just in time when I saw it was Bash. He had been missing since he took off from the cafeteria yesterday, not that that's surprising, he does it all the time.

But he had suddenly appeared right next to me and was now staring at me with those knowing chocolate brown eyes of his, his indifferent mask of no emotion not the slightest bit affected by my reaction.

"Jesus, don't sneak up on me like that" I said, regaining my composure.

"You looked like you were thinking about something unpleasant, so I snapped you out of it"

He shrugged his shoulders as he said that, and his tone told me how simple his reasoning was. Almost as if he expected me to know immediately why he snuck up on me.

I sighed inwardly and decided to ignore it, "are you heading home?" I asked

He nodded "I'm done with practice"

For the first time I noticed that he had the strap of his guitar case over his shoulder and was carrying his violin in his other hand. If it weren't for the fact that he was a super powered teen with super strength I would have questioned how he could carry it all in addition to his book bag that was nearly bursting from where it was strapped to his back.

"How'd it go?" I asked as we started walking home.

He shrugged "same old"

I didn't even try to decipher what that meant. Bash was too cryptic to read with any real certainty, and no one has ever gotten a real emotional reaction out of him. We had all learned long ago that it's always better to just leave Bash to his own devices; it doesn't help to do anything about it.

"You were thinking about Bunny, weren't you" he said

It was a statement, not a question.

I nodded, knowing that even if I wanted to lie to him I wouldn't be able to. For some reason he's like a human lie detector, I don't think I've ever seen anyone get a lie past him. And believe me people have tried, both Butch and Bleak made a game out of it a few summers ago, coming up with any kind of lie to try and throw Bash, but he could always tell the truth from the lie. Even the small white lies that were nearly impossible to detect.

"And you were thinking about Bell"

His face remained impassive, but if I looked closely enough I could see that he had tightened his jaw. He nodded slowly, confirming what I already knew.

"Do you think we'll ever be able to tell them?" I asked

He shrugged "who knows, not that it matters they've all got boyfriends now"

I stopped and Bash took about three more steps before turning around to face me.

"What do you mean they all have boyfriends? I thought Buttercup, Bell and Bunny were still single"

Bash shook his head "Not anymore, word just came in from the weekly gab, apparently their going out with Theo, Carter, and James now"

He spat out the name James like he was talking about the gum on the bottom of his shoe instead of a person. But I couldn't blame him there; I felt the same way about Carter.

If I remember right Carter is a freshman, and on the track just like me. His toe blonde hair and crystal blue eyes make him a big hit with the girls, but he's a weak member of the team, only there to flirt with the cheerleaders.

I clutched my fists at the thought of such scum having a pure angel like Bunny. White hot anger licked at the edges of my control until Bash's voice broke through the rage.

"There's nothing you can do, even if Carter is an ass, she'll just end up hating you if you intervene"

The statement was a cold slap in the face of my red hot anger, but he was right and I let my anger deflate.

He gave me a small smile and we resumed our walk home.

After several minutes without silence…

"She'll figure out that he's no good for her and dump him soon enough, you'll see" he said out of nowhere.

He hadn't turned to look at me as he spoke, but, he didn't need to. I smiled.

"Same to you"

BOOMER'S P.O.V

I slipped on the protective goggles and leaned over the slab of wood I had positioned on the cutting table, making sure that it was lined up perfectly with the saw so that I could make a clean cut. Satisfied that it was as close to perfect as it could get, I flipped the switch and cleanly cut the board in two.

I turned the saw off and pushed the goggles onto the top of my head. I grabbed the piece of wood and made my way back to my station to attach it to my project. I had been working on it for quite some time now, and as I proudly installed this final piece onto it I couldn't help but be pleased with how it had turned out, better than I had imagined it would.

It was a desk, about 5 to 6 feet long with four drawers lining the right side and space on the left for a person to sit. I had added my own intricate carvings along the trim, and intended to put matching silver knobs on the drawers tomorrow.

I would also need to sand it down and put the finish on it, to prevent splinters and give it that finishing glow. Once it was full and completely done I would enter it in the county-wide woodworking competition.

I sighed at the thought of my work going on to the regional woodworking competition, but it would have to be truly amazing for that to happen.

I took off my goggles and set them on a nearby table, then dusted my clothes off. There was sawdust everywhere, and I hurrily cleaned up my station. Wanting to go home and relax for the remainder of the afternoon.

As I was cleaning up my supervisor –Mr. Finning- walked into the room. He was carrying a box no doubt filled with new equipment, and deposited his load on top of a deserted work table.

"Hey Boomer, I didn't realize you were still here"

I swept the last of the sawdust up into the dustpan and dumped it in the trash, then smiled

"I was just finishing up here"

Mr. Finning was big and buff, always wearing the classic plaid button-up shirt tucked into dark blue jeans. He used to be a lumber jack, or so he's told us. And judging from his massive muscles and rugged exterior we all believe it.

He walked over to my desk, examining it for a bit before letting out a low whistle. "You finally finished her, all she needs is some sanding and polishing and she'll be the greatest work to ever walk out of my classroom"

"You have the magic hands Boomer; I've never seen another table done this fine"

He smoothed his hand over the table's surface and I felt the pride fill me at his praise.

"Thanks Mr. Finning, see you tomorrow!" I said, grabbing my book bag and heading for the door.

I was halfway out before I caught his reply:

"Goodbye Boomer!"

It was around my first year of middle school when I realized that I was gifted with my hands. I had signed up for Art class, due to the fact that I'm big into the arts, expecting painting or some other typical form of art.

But the very first thing the teacher did was separate the girls into the paint and canvas corner, and the boys into the woodshop corner. I had been disappointed back then, sulking that I wouldn't get to paint or make collages like the girls.

But, soon enough, I came to enjoy woodshop. The tools and procedures quickly became familiar, and I was making thinks left and right. I learned and used up all the basics in the first month and did a net search in the library for more advanced methods of woodwork.

Three years later and it's become my hobby and my passion. Rather than practicing traditional forms of art, I decided to continue with woodwork, my own unrivaled form of self-expression.

I smiled to myself as I walked down the cracked concrete sidewalk toward home. The sun was already setting, and its golden rays illuminated the world in a yellow hue, making shadows stand out more profoundly and the world seem more peaceful.

Everybody had gone home for the day; the only people I would expect to still be at school would be the student council and the Band kids. Other than the occasional passerby there was no one on the streets either, I suppose that they're all home, it's around dinner time.

I adjusted my backpack on my shoulder, trying to compensate for the heavy load of books I was forced to lug home along with my toolbox.

I passed by the park, and a flash of gold caught my eye. I stopped, turning toward the huge fountain that was set up in the middle of the gravel walkway within the park's boundaries.

"But…But…I don't understand…"

A harsh laugh, "don't you get it sweetheart? Since you won't give me what I want I'm breaking up with you, this little vixen is twice as beautiful, and more than willing…"

"Aw…Dylan, you're such a flirt"

It was Bubbles; she was standing right in front of the fountain. Her long golden hair was down, shielding her face from my view. Her boyfriend, Dylan, was standing about five feet away with his arm around another girl.

He smirked wide as he stared down at Bubbles, and the girl pressed herself against him, her too-tight top making her cleavage show far more than necessary.

It took a good five seconds at most to process what was going on, and by that time the slut and the jackass BF were already walking away.

"Wait!" Bubbles yelled, taking a few steps forward and reaching out her hand as if to stop him.

"What?" he asked, barely glancing over his shoulder at her.

"I…I thought you…that we…"

"_We_? There never was a we, I figured that with how hot you are you'd have screwed dozens of guys by now. Who'd have thought that sweet attitude was real; I figured it was a sham to get everyone to like you."

"Why don't you shut up…" I said as I began to walk toward them.

All three heads turned to me but I was focused on Dylan.

He was surprised at first, but that quickly dissolved into an easy smirk.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the runt of the ruff litter. What are you doing here?"

I stopped once I was standing right in front of him; he had turned around at this point, so that he was facing me.

"Take it back" I said

"Take what back?" he asked

"Take back all that crap you said about Bubbles!" I yelled, fists already tightening with fury.

"Bubbles isn't like that, she's kind and good-natured, bubbly and energetic, not a slutty drama queen who sells her body for tips!"

I could see the corner of Dylan's mouth twitching, and sure enough, a second later, he burst out laughing.

"_You're _defending this bitch? And here I though the Puffs and Ruffs hated each other, so much for the rowdy bad boys who once terrorized this goddamn city, you've all gone soft!"

"If you don't take it back right now I'll-"

"You'll what? Beat me up? Go ahead and try it"

He took a step toward me, so close now that our faces were only inches apart but I didn't flinch. I'd never been this angry in my life; my entire body was trembling, not from fear, but from anger and the desire to beat the living hell out of this asshat.

He leaned in even closer, smirk widening. I could smell alcohol and cigarette smoke on his breath and my nose crinkled from the odor.

"See, you don't have the guts to hit me" he said

Something shifted inside me after that, I don't know what it was, but something snapped. My self-control was gone as I rammed my fist into his gut, just under his rib cage.

He coughed and staggered back, both hands clutching his stomach, then fell to his knees. The slutty girl stared at me, expression conveying shock and horror before turning and running as fast as her 6 inch heels would allow.

He was on his hands and knees, still coughing. I hadn't used very much of my strength, but it was enough to give him a few broken ribs. My clenched fists still shook with the need to throttle him, but I held back.

Instead I leaned down so that I was at eye level with him; he lifted his gaze to meet mine.

"I may not be as powerful as my brothers…but your still as easy to crush as a gnat to me, If you ever come near her again I swear it'll be a lot worse than this" I whispered, eyes never leaving his.

"Get me?"

He nodded, unable, or unwilling, to speak.

I stood, "Good"

I turned away, facing Bubbles for the first time since I arrived on the scene. She was still standing in the same spot, but now I could see her face.

Her crystal blue eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly agape, signifying her surprise. But what really caught my attention, were the tear tracks running down her cheeks. I almost turned back around and gave that dirty bastard the worst left hook of his life; I barely managed to reign in my murderous intent.

I focused on Bubbles instead, allowing a gentle smile to sweep over my features. "Bubbles let me walk you home"

Without waiting for an answer I stepped forward, taking her elbow and guiding her out of the park. Once we had gone a few blocks I released her, briefly pondering why she hadn't pulled away herself.

True to my word, I walked her home, although it was an awkward walk. We didn't speak a word to each other, I did glance at her a few times out of the corner of my eye, but we had no more contact than that.

I walked up the concrete driveway to the front door, then stood at the bottom of the steps as she prepared to go inside.

"T-thank you, for walking me home…" she said softly, her hand on the knob.

"Don't mention it" I replied, keeping my eyes trained on the line of bushes that separated their yard from the neighbors.

I didn't move until I heard the door open, then shut. Then, I continued on my way home.

**Me: YES! Thank god I finished it; it was so hard to get the motivation I needed. But I finally did it! ppgz and rrbz lover I am SO, SO, SO sorry that I took so long to update, I am also apologetic to my readers for this lack of diligence on my part. I've been so lazy recently, watching anime non-stop and just flat out screwing around.**

**But I am satisfied with this chapter, I didn't expect it to turn out this good. I hope you all enjoyed it, and thank you for reading. Don't forget to COMMENT.**

**TheCastorbean**

**Wishes you all a Merry Christmas, **

**And a Happy new year**


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